Duplicating roll film cleaning device



Sept. 30, 1952 E. F. SKINNE'R 2,612,105

DUPLICATING ROLL FILM CLEANING DEVICE Filed Jan. 17, 1949 FIG.3

INVENTOR. ELMER E SKINNER A -is OFF E DUPI'LICEATINGI ROLL FILM CLEANING v V 'lleline rr s inner, 15st, 1533138 Application 'Jaimar'y 17,'1949, 'Serial Ne; 71 ,261

-folaifm, (cl. in ists v 5 (Granted;under' theact of March'- 3, 1883, asaniendedApril 20, 1928;:.svo oo. 75w i Thisinventim rel te ee-ded t n ron film ing machinef partially cut away, with thema icdevi e andfrmo're pa ula ly vt ea ing device in ta e th r I j insfideyiceif "fiipi t n a c e ni th 1a- Fig. "2 is an elevation view; partially in-"se fl 'm. ent tl -9 1 2 o t ilc nve na du tioa'offtne'tieanmg device;and plicating machinesi II I I Fig. 3-]isa' transverse sectioh'alwiew oi line ,1jflnaconventional ty\pe of1duplicat ing machine, 3+3 of F igi 1 illustratingthe operati'on ofthe the ejiS-provideda rotatable copying roll which cleaning device.

carriesa. ,gelatincopying film jihefilm is car- Referrin 7 now to thedrawing's an riejcl"byfeed,andjjrewind' rolls'which are so articularly toFig. 1, there is shown a implicating ranged'within thehollewcopying roll that the, machine of a common typ'e on which the cleanmm feedsq it imm't jfd roll through asecmg devicelof the present invention is ins'talle'd':

toral cutawayspacejin the periphery of the roll, The duplicating machine'corr prises arn'ain" frame around the arcuate printin'g surfaceof the. copy- I 0 on Which is'journalled a rotatable'copyin roll 'ing roll, and th'eh backthrough the sectoralspace 12. The roll I2 is driven through "gear'train l'3 where it winds ontotherewindrolh Periodicalby suitable drivingmeans (not shown- LSUQP ly it is .nec essary'toclean; the'exposed surface of ported closely adjacent the roll [2' is'a'stationa'ry thelcop ying film and also to moisten the gelatin member in the form of a papersupportin'g tray onithefilm to] condition the film forthe d licate H M. As illustrated in thedrawing, the paper s'up= ing"1proce'ss. Heretoforethis moistenin and porting tray I4 is shown-in an inoperative posi cleaning' has jbeen accomplished by soaking a tion. In its operative position thetray ld -is sponge in water andfholding' the sponge to the swung upward 'to assume agenerally perpendic= 11lnibyhar'1d while the roll is allowed. torotate. ularposi'tion. Behind the roll" IZthe're is mounted Ql-iowever, 'since fl the copying roll has the aforeapaper receiving tray I6 f0r receiving the-printed nientionedjcutaway sectoriii the periphery theresheets as they come from-the-printing roll? I This of,' ,.this hand operation islegztremely 'dangerous tray is not shown inFigVI-butitsgeneral loca n b eeause it is possible 'f or'tlie operator to'g et his tion relative toxth'e roll is illustratecl'in Figi3;

hand cau ht between the' edge of the sectoral Positionedbeneath the paper receivingitrayuand 'cutway of the roll "andjjeertttin1rigid portions of adjacent the copying roll -are stripriersiollsal-I the machine frame which are disposed closely and I8 for removing the: printd paper fromi'the adjacent thereto. ;It iswell known that the hands copying film asthe roll isrotated. I I i of v operators have been frequently injured in this Referring to Fig. 3, it will be note'di th at the manner. Moreover, cleanin the film *with; a roll l2 has a sectoral cutaway portionindicated sponge held in the hand is neither effective-nor as Sp ce "20 which extends the Jenti're'length of thorough, and there is a tendency for excess the roll. The roll [21' has supported within its in water to be splashed about theroll with the atteriolf a feed r011 2| and a rewind-roll 22 'fonthe tendant result that water carrying gelatin-from py g fi The P es f omroll 2| the film runs into the driving rnechanism of the outwardly around the arcuate printing surface machine, which'is usually. locate qbelow theeo yand then inwardly around the rewindroll 221: It ing roll; causingthe mechanism to' getezgtreniely is often desirable to 'cl'ean 'ai'id moisten" the ex dirty and clogged. I 1 40 posed surface of the filn'l,'particularlybefore the Accordingly,' one of the objects of this inven start, of a'- dupl cat g p f tionflsir'ice'the 'roll tion is to provide a duplicatingfilm cleanin de- ;l2 rotates in .a counterclockwisedirection when vice which will clean the film thoroughly and ie e 215.111 g-'3, thereisidahgef ofthe fin ers which is so positioned on the machine that it of .the operator being caught betweenjthe leading can be used without danger of injury to {sheepd Qffih ar e Printing p fi of the r011 erator.

A'furthenobject of this invention is to provide f i is p qxt Wipe the'fihn clean with a cleaning and moisteningdevicejior a duplicata spongeiheld in the hand. This dangerclearlyj' 'ing film which' can be inexpensivelymanufac- I is c me by the cleaning device of the present turedand installed on afconventionalduplicating invention. I I machine. j I ,II' n a n i 1, the'plean'ing device These and other objectsjwill become'apparent comprisesia cylinder .30 which is clos'ed' t its from the following det'ailed description when end nag-nasstubshafts 3| and "Camus, tak with e.acc anyi gdrawingsinwhich r @Xtfi'ndingj from the-lends of the closed-cylinde Fig. 1 is a perspectiverear'view of a duplicat- 5 Stub'shafts 3| and 32 are respectively journalle'd I2 and the "adjacent edge of the paper feed tray in brackets 33 and 34 which are secured to the stripper roll supports of the'machine by suitable fastening means 36. tially coextensive in length with roll 12 and is of rotation o allel to sponge'extends radially outward from the cylinder and, as shown in Fig. 2, extends diametrically across the interior of the cylinder. ,The sponge 38 is maintained in position within the slot by screws 39 which are angularlyzsecured along the edges of the slot. A'handle 40 is se'cnredto stub shaft 32 by which the cylinder can be rotated about its axis in the manner shown in Fig. 3. It is to be understood that this'method of securing the sponge'gin the cylinder is only illustrative .of one form. the invention-may take, and that other means forexample, --a quick release clamp, may be used to hold the sponge.

Referring now to .Eig. 2, the cleaning. device and means for" supplying-cleaning and moi'stening fluid'i'thefeto isfshown in greater detail. .It will be noted that stub shaft 3| is hollow, there being insertedthereina small perforatedtube 542 which extends downward along. the left end-of the cylinder "20 and-then along the entire length of the cylinder 30; Liquidis supplied through this tube from a liquid-reservoir 50, certain features of whichwvill hereinafter be described in more detailr fThe lpurpose of the perforated'tube is to insure equal distribution of fluid throughout the length of the cylinder 30, thereby to prevent one endof-thesponge from becoming more saturated with liquid than the other. This feature is of considerable importance when liquid .is first -in= troducedgto the device, since after it has beenin operation for, some time the liquid fills the cylindertoa predetermined level which isautomatically'maintained by means now-to be described.

:Referring now to-Figs. l and.2, there is illus-' trated-a -liquid reservoir which may consist of bottle-50 supported at a convenient place on the frame of the duplicating machine. Directly below the bottle there, is provided a liquid level control valve lfrom which a pipe 52 conducts the liquid to the interior of the cylinder. A suitable *rotating joint 53 is provided. in the liquid conducting pipe to allow rotation of the cylinder 30 :relative to the liquid conducting means. Avalve 54fis provided in the liquid conducting means to shut'the water off from the cylinder when themachme-or-the cleaning device is not in use. The liquid level control valve' 5| is of a conventional type which includes a spring loaded plunger. 60 for closing the container when it isnot in'use; As shown in Fig. 2, the plunger 'isamoved upward when the bottle is set nto the well 6| thereby to allow liquid to flow from thebottleinto the plumbing 52 to the cleaning device. However, when the liquid in the system reaches a level which is higher than the point 62 at the end of tube 63, which is attached to the cap of bottle 50, further liquid is prevented from flowing out and the. liquid level in thehsystem is automatically maintained at that level. The liquid supplying system is simple in constructionandautomatic in operation, thus requiring little,,if any, attention or maintenance.

Theoperation of the cleaning devicejw'ill be clearly understoodby reference to Figs. 1 and 3. Its-:shown iniri .1, the device is in its inopera- The cylinder is substantive position, the handle. being pushed backward to rotate cylinder to a position where sponge 38 is out of contact with the copying film 23 on the roll 12. I The same inoperative position is also shown in Fig. 3 bythe full line position of arm ltl. ,As more clearly shown in Fig. 3, cylinder 3il'-:.is" so=' spaced dmtheperiphery of the "roll I? and 'spongelikemeniber 38"extends i such a distance radially. from cylinder 30 that '10 movement of handle through an arc of approximately.i lllf i'i its operative position (shown by dotted lines), causes the sponge to contact film 23. 0n thecopying roll I2. With the handle 'held initsoperative position, the copying roll is, made to .'rotate whereby the entire surface of the. filmis quickly and uniformly cleaned by a simple and safe operation. The handle 40 is of such a. length that. the operators hand during the manipulation thereof is at a safe distance from all moving parts jofthe machine whereby all danger of, injury is obviated. When theroll is suflicientlymoistened orfcleaned, the handle is..swungba'ck.and left in'its inoperative posi-' tion until further. use .of thecleaning device is required. The liquid remains within the cylinf der, and because of the substantially upright position' o'ffthe sponge ,While in its inoperative position, thereis nopossibility of the waterleak ing outof the cylinder. Accordingly, thejcleafng ing device is always in condition for. immediate use, no time beingrequired' to saturate the sponge before starting each cleaning operation. r

It will be .apparentfromthe foregoing, descrip tion that there provided "ardefvice whichwill effectively and quickly "clean theifilmof a 1copy-' ing rollof a duplicating. machine without danger to the hands of the operator of the machine. I Although the invention has been. describedin combination with a {duplicating machine. having a rotating copying roll, it willbe apparent to one skilledin the art that the device is equally applicable to duplicating machines having a flat, reciprocating copying roll on which the film-is carried. It will also-be apparent that minor T structural, changes may be necessary to adapt the device to rotating. machines of other models than the voneillustrated in the drawings. It is accords ingly .desired that thescope of the, inventionbe limited only by the appended claims. V

The invention described herein may bemanue facturecl and used byor for the Governmentof ends being mounted on said machine withitsaxis 1 parallel to the axis of .rotation of said roll and with its .outer surface spaced from the outer surface of said film a predetermined distance, said cylinder having stub shaftspositioned on the axis of said. cylinder and extending from the closed ends thereof, a pair ofbrackets mounted on, the stripper roll supports of said machine, said shafts being, journalled in said-brackets whereby said cylinder may be rotated about its axis, said cylinder having a narrow longitudinalslot cut therein of a length substantially coextensive with the. width of said film, a fiat spongelike member-sc cured in said slot and extending, radially outward from said cylinder a distance greater than said predetermined distance .and also extending into said cylinder across the diameter thereof, a per forated tube positioned within said cylinder and extending along an internal surface thereof diametrically opposite said slot, a liquid reservoir mounted on said machine, a pipe having a rotatable joint therein connecting said reservoir and said perforated tube, means for maintaining a constant liquid level within said cylinder, and a handle secured to one of said stub shafts for selectively rotating said cylinder from an angular position where the plane of said spongelike member is substantially vertical and out of contact with said film to a position where the plane of said spongelike member is substantially horizontal and extremity of the radial extension thereof is in contact with said film.

2. A device for cleaning and moistening the film carried on the rotating copying roll of a duplicating machine having stripper rolls associated with said copying roll and supports for said stripper rolls, said device comprising a hollow cylinder closed at its ends, a pair of stub shafts extending axially from the closed ends of said cylinder and rotatably mounted on said stripper roll supports to position the axis of said cylinder parallel to the axis of rotation of said copying roll and to space the outer surface of said cylinder a predetermined distance from said film, a flat sponge member coextensive with said copying roll extending diametrically across said cylinder and protruding radially from said cylinder a distance slightly greater than said predetermined distance, means for uniformly distributing liquid along the length of said sponge, and a handle secured to one of said stub shafts for rotating said cylinder about its axis through an angle from an inoperative position where the plane of said sponge is substantially vertical and the protruding portion of said sponge is directed upward to a position where the plane of said sponge is substantially horizontal and the radial extremity thereof is in contact with said film.

3. A device for cleaning and moistening the film carried on the rotating coying roll of a duplicating machine having stripper rolls associated with said copying roll and supports for said stripper roll, said device comprising, a pair of brackets mounted on the stripper roll supports of said machine, a hollow, closed, elongated cylinder having stub shafts extending axially from the ends thereof rotatably journalled on said brackets whereby said cylinder may be rotated about its axis, said brackets being arranged to space the outer surface of said cylinder a predetermined distance from said copying roll and parallel to the axis of rotation of said roll, said cylinder having a narrow longitudinal slot cut therein of a length substantially coextensive with the width of said film, a spongelike member positioned coextensively within said slot and extending radially outward from said cylinder a distance greater than said predetermined distance and also extending into said cylinder across the diameter thereof, a perforated tube extending along an internal surface of said cylinder diametrically opposite said slot, a handle secured to one of said stub shafts for selectively rotating said cylinder through an angle of approximately 90 from an inoperative said tube is substantially vertical and said spongelike member is directed upward to a position where said plane is substantially horizontal and the radially extending portion of said spongelike member is in contact with said film, and means mounted on said machine and connected to said tube for supplying and maintaining liquid in said cylinder at a level below the axis of said cylinder.

4. A device for cleaning and moistening the fihn carried on the rotating copying roll of a duplicating machine comprising, in combination, a pair of brackets secured to said machine at opposite ends of said copying roll, a hollow,elongated cylinder closed at its ends, a pair of stub shafts coaxially extending from the closed ends of said cylinder and being rotatablyjournalled on said brackets, said brackets being arranged on said machine to position the axis of said cylinder parallel to the axis of rotation of said copying roll and to space the outer surface of said cylinder a predetermined distance from the outer surface of the film carried by said roll, said cylinder having a narrow longitudinal slot cut therein of a length substantially coextensive with the length of said cylinder, a spongelike member secured in said slot and extending radially outward from said cylinder a distance greater than said predetermined distance and also extending into said cylinder to contact the internal surface thereof diametrically opposite said slot, a handle secured to one of said stub shafts for selectively rotating said cylinder through an angle from an inoperative position where a plane including said slot and the axis of said cylinder is substantially vertical and said spongelike member is directed upward out of contact with said film to a position where the radially extending portion of said spongelike member is incontact with said film, and liquid supplying means mounted on said machine and communicating with the interior of said cylinder for uniformly distributing liquid throughout the length of said spongelike member and maintaining liquid in said cylinder at a level below the axis of rotation of said cylinder.

ELMER F. SKINNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 479,280 Ingram July 19, 1892 1,574,570 Goulding Feb. 23, 1926 2,058,507 Rogers Oct. 27, 1936 2,067,289 Ritzerfeld Jan. 12, 1937 2,147,410 Marchev et al Feb. 14, 1939 2,421,824 Allen et a1. -1 June 10, 1947 2,443,458 Janke June 15, 1948 2,465,160 Levenhagen et a1. Mar. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 255,299 Great Britain July 22, 1926' 

